You know massage feels good and can be helpful to make your aches and pains feel better.  You have experienced at some point in your life some sort of pain relief from a holistic approach i.e. chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy or physical therapy.  For years these medical approaches have been less invasive than surgery and have fewer side effects than pain medication.

Below you will find an article that explains what actually goes on in your body when you receive a massage.  At Relaxation Works I am always education myself and staying ahead of the curve to bring you exceptional information and therapies that will help you with your physical pain and stress.  Pain relief is attainable with massage therapy and other holistic approaches.  I’ve one client tell me that since seeing me for his low back pain he has stopped using his pain medication with his doctors approval.  That is outstanding!  Pain medication is not supposed to be used for long periods of time, it was intended to be used for a short period of time.
What massage won’t do
There is not a gold pot at the end of the rainbow or sparkly unicorn that is going to whisk you off to an island of happiness and joy after you receive a massage.  But what massage can do is give you hope that your chronic pain issue will decrease and your range of motion and flexibility will increase all without side effects.  All of these research case studies incorporated massage CONSISTENTLY and for weeks or months at a time.  Massage CAN be a quick fix in certain circumstances.  But for chronic pain sufferers, massage must be cumulative even if it is for 5-8 sessions.  Webster dictionary states that the word chronic means “marked by long duration or frequent recurrence : not acute; always present or encountered; constantly vexing, weakening, or troubling”.

This study found evidence at the cellular level that massage therapy may affect inflammation in a way similar to anti-inflammatory medications.  YAY!
https://www.amtamassage.org/research/Massage-in-the-News.html